Process of treating hides.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WAYLAND, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF TREATING HIDES.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,598, dated December 25, 1900.

Application filed May 13. 1899. Serial No. 716,758. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WAYLAND, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Hides, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearlycon nected to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the art of treating hides for the purpose of tanning or otherwise curing them in order to fit them for various commercial uses, and is intended both to cheapen the cost of manufacture and to improve the quality of the product.

To this end my invention comprises a process whose characteristic feature consists in splitting the green hides into layers before liming or unhairing the same, the result being that the grain or outside layer of the hide is available for the manufacture of the best qualities of upper-leather, while the split or inside layer is available for making the best qualities of sole-leather.

In order that the real nature and significance of my present invention may be better understood, I will briefly describe the course of procedure at present in vogue.

Heretofore it has been the practice to soak or wash out in water the green hide and to lime the same by putting it into a bath of lime-water or other suitable reagent for the purpose of loosening the hair. After its removal from the lime the hide is successively unhaired and fleshed, the fleshing operation consisting of cutting off or removing the lumps of flesh that adhere to the inside surface of the hide. After further treatment for the purpose of removing or neutralizing the lime the hide is tanned and subsequently split into layers, the grain or outer layer being used for the better qualities of upper 1eather,while the split or flesh layer is used for inferior grades of leather.

Under the process just described it is not practicable to make the fine firm grades of sole-leather, since the action of the lime or other unhairing reagent softens and opens the hide, thereby making it unfit for the best quality of sole-leather. In order, then, to

those skilled in the art.

manufacture the best sole-leather, it is usual to loosen the hair by sweating the hide. This method, however, renders the hide unfit for making good upper-leather. this method, as well as under the method previously described, the quality of the hair is more or less injuriously afiected, and as the hair is an important by-product this is a material consideration.

I will now particularly describe the process which I have invented and which forms the subject-matter of this application.

I first soak or wash the hide in water until it becomes quite pliable. This soaking should not continue so long as to injuriously affect the hide, as will be readily understood by I next shear or cut off the hair as close to the surface of the hide as practicable. This may be done quickly and conveniently upon any suitable machine. After the hair is sheared 0d the hides are then split into layers. In order to secure the best results and obtain uniform and level layers, the splitting should be done while the hide is in its flexible or pliable condition, so that it shall be as nearly as practicable of uniform texture throughout. As will be understood, the grains will contain the stumps or roots of the hair,and accordingly they may be limed in order to loosen the hair, after which they are unhaired by machine or otherwise. After the unhairing operation the lime may be washedout of the grains, and they may be tanned or finished in any manner that the manufacturer may desire.

For some purposes it may be desirable not to lime and unhair the grain, but to finish it with the residue of the hair left in it.

It will be seen that as the splits contain no hair it will be unnecessary to lime them at all, consequently they are available for tanning into good firm sole-leather, or they can be used for other purposes, as desired. Before being tanned the splits may be leveled and the levelings or skivings may be used for glue-stock or other purposes, thereby commanding a better price than if they were not removed until after the split is tanned, besides saving the cost of tanning material that would otherwise be absorbed by them.

Of course in the case of light calf-skins the Under splits would not be heavy enough for soleleather, but they would be available for other purposes.

It will be understood that when I have referred to the operation of liming I include the use of all substitutes for lime that may be employed to serve the same purpose, there being many such substitutes known to the trade.

From the foregoing explanation it will be obvious that by proceeding on substantially the lines indicated I can produce from the grains the best qualities of upper-leather, while at the same time I am able to utilize the splits for the manufacture of the fine grades of soleleather, besides securing other advantages which will be readily appreciated by practical men, such as reduction in cost of manufacture and increased value of icy-products.

It will be understood that the details of my process and the mode of applying the same may be varied to suit special conditions and needs.

Without, therefore, attempting to point out all the variations that may be made in the practice of my process or in its application to particular purposes, what I claim is 1. The process of treating untanned hides which consists in soaking the hide to render it pliable, then shearingthe hair 0E, then splitting the hide intolayers before liming or unhairing it, whereby the splits and grains can be obtained for further independent treatment without effecting any injurious change in the condition of either layer, substantially as described.

2. The process of treating untanned hides which consists in soaking the hide to render it pliable, then shearing the hair oif, then splitting off a level uniform layer on the grain side of the hide, and subsequently liming and unhairing the said grain layer, substantially as described,

3. The process of treating untanned hides which consists in soaking the hide to render it pliable, then shearing the hair off, then splitting the hide into layers and tanning the split or flesh layer into sole-leather wit-hout injuriously affecting its condition by the action of lime or the like, substantially as dey scribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of 'May, A. D. 1899.

FRANK WAYLAND. 

